Fire chief’s warning after kitchen blaze (From Bournemouth Echo)

Fire chief’s warning after kitchen blaze

7:00am Monday 6th July 2009 in

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FIRE chiefs have warned people not to attempt to fight blazes in their homes after an elderly woman tried to put out a fire in her kitchen.

Crews from Westbourne and Poole were called to a home in Alexandra Road, Upper Parkstone, at 7.10pm on Thursday, where the kitchen had been engulfed with flames and smoke.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the property to fight the fire, which started in an electric toaster and spread to a tea towel before destroying the kitchen, a fire service spokesman said.

There was smoke damage to the rest of the bungalow and crews spent two hours damping down the scene and removing burnt appliances and fittings.

The resident was given oxygen treatment before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

Phil Burridge, Dorset Fire and Rescue’s community safety quality and development manager, said the bungalow had two smoke alarms, one installed by the fire service and one by Poole Lifeline.

He said: “Poole Lifeline put the call in to Dorset Fire and Rescue, allowing us to take prompt action, which saved this incident from being much worse than it was.

“People shouldn’t fight fires. They should get out, stay out and call the fire service. If possible, to cut down on fire spread and smoke damage, they should close all doors when leaving the property.

“This fire was caused by a toaster which hadn’t been cleaned out in a while. All domestic appliances should be kept clean and free of debris and should be used sensibly.”

The service is on a drive to reduce fire deaths. Last year was a black one for the county, with 11 house fire deaths – the highest amount per capita for any UK fire service.

Most of those were isolated, elderly people and Mr Burridge added: “I’d like to reiterate – working smoke alarms save lives.”